1876.] Knowledge of the Fossil Flora in India. 359 



Mr. Schimper, in his ' Pal. veget.', endeavoured to establish a reasonable 

 method, which, however, cannot always be used. 



He kept the generic name Fecopteris and joined with it the name 

 of the living genus to which he thought the fossil belonged to indicate a 

 subgroup : thus, he has Fecopteris Cyatheides, Fecopteris Aspidides, etc. ; 

 but besides this, the peculiar genus Alethopteris, Gopp., which differs 

 considerably from Fecopteris. But I think it is better to distinguish 

 not only Aletliopteris, Gopp., but the fossil genus Cyatheites also, and to 

 range with Fecopteris only those forms which cannot be united with either 

 of these two. 



Genus Alethopteris, Sternberg, 1838. 



Fronde hi- vel tripinnata. Finnulis plerumque integerrimis nonnun- 

 quam denticulatis tota basi adfixis, saepius basi dilatatis ac connatis, 

 rarius subconstrictis, sed etiam connatis ; margine nonmtnquam reflexo 

 (soros obtegente .?*), nervo medio plus minusve distincto, ex rhachide eggre- 

 diente usque ad apicem continuante, nervis secundariis sub angulo subacuto 

 egg red lent ibics, simplicibus, vel semel (superioribus) vel bis (inferior 'ibits) 

 furcatis, parallelis aut divergent ibttsf, ad marginem productis. (Fructi- 

 ficatio familiae). 



Aletliopteris is represented in the existing flora especially by forms of 

 the genus Fteris, Fhegopteris, etc. Of Fteris I will mention the common 

 Fteris aquilina, Fteris araclmoidea, Kaulf., Fteris Smiethiana, Prsl., Ft. 

 fabellata, Thunb., etc. ; of Fhegopteris, Fhegopteris decussata, Mett. 



From the mezozoic epoch we find described a good number of species, 

 which, however, when compared together show great likenesses as well in 

 the shape of the leaflets as in the venation. This has been lately recognised 

 and acknowledged by several authors. 



Alethopteris Whitby ensis, Gopp., is the typical form to which a good 

 many of the mezozoic forms can be referred, some of them being even 

 identical with it, others very closely related. 



Mr. Schimper (Pal. veget. I. 569) indicated this by speaking of a 

 group of Alethopt. Whitbyensis, Gopp., % to which many species were re- 

 ferred. 



* In this case the form agrees with Fteris. 



t In my Flora of Kach (Pal. Ind. XI, No. 1, 187, p. 22), when giving the 

 diagnosis of Alethopteris, I said only " divergentibus," -whereas I should have said 

 " parallelis aut divergentibus." 



% When speaking of Alethopt. Australis, Morr., Schimper says : " Cette fouge're 

 appartient au groupe de V Alethopt. Whitbgensis, Gopp., groupe qui parait etre propre 

 au terrain jurassique." 

 46 



